Among the little-known and secret things about Venice and its surroundings is the legend of the Ponte del Diavolo in Torcello.
Many people stop to photograph it, but few know its legend.
Ponte del Diavolo: article summary
The legend of the Ponte del Diavolo
During Austrian rule in Venice, a young girl from a noble Venetian family falls in love with a Viennese official from the Habsburg empire.
When the forbidden relationship was revealed, the girl's family, out of shame, had her expelled from the city, while the young officer was found stabbed to death.
When the young woman learns of her lover's death, her world collapses, and she finds solace only when a friend promises that he'll find a way to reunite her with her beloved.
The man turned to an old witch who knew how to summon the devil, holder of the keys to space and time.
An ongoing pact
The witch and the demon met at Torcello Bridge on December 24, because on that date the benevolent spirits would have been too busy to notice.
On Christmas Eve, therefore, the witch went to the bridge and summoned the Devil. When it appeared, the woman asked him for the keys to time and space, promising in exchange the souls of seven children not baptized within seven days.
Caught by greed, the devil accepted and immediately gave him the keys. He threw them into the water, and immediately the officer appeared under the bridge: the Venetian noblewoman was able to reunite with him and the two lived happily ever after in another dimension.
Seven days later, the demon reappeared on the bridge, waiting for the witch and the promised souls, but these had meanwhile perished in a fire.
Since then, every year on Christmas Eve, the devil passes over the bridge of Torcello in the form of a black cat, in eternal expectation of its seven souls.
The Ponte del Diavolo today
The Pont du Diable is the first thing you see in Torcello. You can then continue your visit with the island's other monuments, continuing to Burano, Murano or stop off at San Francesco del Deserto.
It's the perfect place to visit if you're spending more than two days in Venice. Of course, be sure to give priority to the most important sites, such as the place Saint-Marc, Dorsoduro and Zattere. You can then leave on the islands of the lagoon.
If you're already familiar with the area, I suggest you take a long walk in the Venetian lagoon and discover the other side of the Serenissima. Of course, this part is much less touristy, but it offers great silence and charm.
How to get to Torcello
To get to the island, you can use public transport. The LN line from vaporetto has two jetties on the island: Fondamenta Nuove and San Zaccaria. To get there, you'll need about 50 minutes from Venice.
However, if you take the Vaporetto from Burano, the journey takes just five minutes. So you can visit the lace factories and then end your day on the magnificent Ponte del Diavolo.
The Ponte del Diavolo is a place shrouded in legend. These are still very much alive in Venice. If you're strolling around Torcello on Christmas Eve, be sure to take a trip over the Devil's Bridge. You may even be able to to see him waiting for his offering.
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